North-east Asia should integrate as region
Japan, China and South Korea should separate diplomacy from public opinion to try to advance regional co-operation regardless of nationalistic concerns over war crimes or territorial disputes, the International Crisis Group will recommend on Thursday.
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Calling north-east Asia one of the world’s least integrated regions, the influential think-tank said Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul needed a forum to focus on their mutual problems and to co-operate on areas of joint interest, such as energy and security.
“It is possible that the ongoing six-party process aimed at solving the North Korean nuclear crisis, if ultimately successful, could be transformed into a regional security dialogue,” the report said.
“However, that possibility is well in the future and is contingent on a host of uncertainties. Japan, South Korea, and China should not wait for a solution of the region’s most difficult problem to make progress among themselves in other areas.”
The report comes as Chinese premier Wen Jiabao and South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun this week declined to hold bilateral meetings with Junichiro Koizumi because of the Japanese prime minister’s controversial visits to the Yasukuni shrine.
Both Beijing and Seoul have experienced a sharp deterioration in ties with Tokyo due to the shrine visits and history textbook revisions they say brush over Japanese war crimes, and because of territorial disputes over uninhabited islands surrounded by potentially lucrative economic zones.
The disputes work against each country’s best interests, the ICG said.
“Japan cannot realise its Security Council ambition without the support of China. China’s goal to have the world accept its rise as peaceful is undermined by scenes of protesters attacking Japanese consulates,” the report said.
“South Korea needs strong economic and political support from its neighbours to achieve its goal of reconciliation and eventual reunification with North Korea. While appeals to nationalism and ancient grudges may help politicians get elected, they detract from long-term diplomatic objectives,” it said.
In contrast to Europe - which has dedicated security, economic and political organisations - north-east Asia belongs to only broad regional institutions which include countries as disparate as Peru and Malaysia.
“European integration, as is often pointed out, began with a bilateral agreement between France and Germany over sharing coal and steel resources,” the ICG said, recommending the three countries start building institutions for dealing with problems of mutual interest, such as energy, that are not hostage to the whims of North Korea.
Specifically, it urges the three countries, plus the US, to:
*Refrain from unilateral military exercises in disputed areas.
*Increase military-to-military exchanges, training and confidence-building measures.
*Establish a regional institution for energy security and co-operation that would explore such issues as establishing a depository for spent nuclear fuel.
*Set up regional co-operative mechanisms for disaster relief and environmental protection.
In the meantime, the ICG said Japan should set up a public fund to assist remaining individual victims of Japanese war crimes, build a new memorial to Japanese war dead to provide an alternative to official visits to Yasukuni, and have cabinet members refrain from making public statements which praise or downplay Japan’s colonial exploits.
South Korea should conclude an agreement on allowable catches by South Korean and Japanese fishing boats around the Dokdo/Takeshima islets, clearly state the South accepts existing border treaties, and publicly acknowledge and thank Japan for the economic aid provided under the Normalisation Treaty.
China should allow Chinese internet users greater access to Japanese and western media to provide alternative views, accept in principle Japanese offers on joint development of oil and gas deposits in the East China Sea, and publicly acknowledge Japan’s role in China’s economic development.
中日韩──争则互损 睦则互利
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际危机组织(International Crisis Group)今天将建议，日本、中国和韩国应将外交与公众舆论分开，抛开有关战争罪行的民族主义担忧或领土领海争端，设法推进地区合作。该组织是一个颇有影响的智囊机构。
国际危机组织将东北亚称为世界一体化程度最低的地区之一。该组织表示，中日韩三国政府必须成立一个论坛，重点讨论相互之间的问题，并在能源和安全等有共同利益的领域展开合作。
“目前正在进行的六方磋商旨在解决朝核危机，如果磋商最终取得成功，则有可能将之变成一个地区性安全对话机制，”该组织的报告表示。
“但这一可能性目前还很遥远，并取决于大量不确定因素。日本、韩国和中国不应坐等该地区最困难的问题有了解决办法，三国之间才在其它领域取得进展。”
报告发布时，由于日本首相小泉纯一郎(Junichiro Koizumi)数次参拜靖国神社，中国总理温家宝和韩国总统卢武铉(Roh Moo-hyun)本周拒绝与他举行双边会谈。
中韩政府与日本的关系经历了急剧恶化，原因是日本参拜靖国神社并修改历史教科书。两国政府表示，修改教科书的做法试图粉饰日本所犯的战争罪行。还有一个原因是，两国与日本就无人居住的某些岛屿存在领土争端，这些岛屿周边是可能有利可图的经济区。
国际危机组织表示，这些争端不利于各国的最佳利益。
“没有中国的支持，日本就不能实现其进入安理会的抱负。中国的目标是让世界接受它的和平崛起，而抗议者袭击日本领事馆的场景损害了这一目标，”该报告表示。
“韩国需要其邻国强有力的经济和政治支持，以实现与朝鲜和解并最终统一的目标。虽然求助于民族主义和夙仇可能帮助政客们当选，但它们偏离了长期的外交目标，”该报告表示。
与欧洲相比，东北亚只参与了宽泛的地区性组织，这些组织包括像秘鲁和马来西亚这样差异巨大而且相距甚远的国家，而欧洲则有着专事安全、经济和政治的紧密组织。
“正如经常指出的那样，欧洲一体化始于法德两国分享煤炭和钢铁资源的双边协议，”国际危机组织表示。该机构建议，三国应当着手建立处理能源等有相互利益问题的机制，且这些机制不受朝鲜局势反复无常的制约。
具体而言，该组织敦促上述三国以及美国克制争议地区的单边军事演习，增加军事交流、培训以及信心构建措施，成立一个致力于能源安全与合作的区域机构，来探讨诸如建立核废料存放场所之类的议题，成立救灾与环境保护的区域合作机制等。
同时，国际危机组织表示，日本应设立一个公共基金，援助仍然在世的日本战争罪行个人受害者，为日本战亡者修建一座新的纪念馆，作为官方参拜靖国神社的替代场所。此外，在发表赞扬或为日本的殖民掠夺开脱的言论方面，日本还应让内阁成员加以节制。
韩国应达成一个有关韩国和日本渔船在独岛/竹岛海域进行获准许作业的协定，明确表明韩国接受现存的边境条约，公开承认并感谢日本根据关系正常化条约所提供的经济援助。
中国应允许中国互联网用户更自由地访问日本及西方媒体，来获得另一种观点，原则上接受日本联合开发中国东海油气的提议，并公开承认日本在中国经济发展中的作用。
